T.X. Watson's Pre-EVENT blog

(via Boing Boing)
Frank is a senior citizen, starting to lose the ability to take care of himself on his own. Instead of putting him in a home, his daughter gets him a care robot with an advanced AI. At first he resists, but they become friends, and partners in a jewel heist.

This isn't exactly a positive portrayal, despite what I said in the headline, but at least it's a step past the "Enemies of all humans" portrayal of AI in most media in the last decade. That trope is dealt with early on -- Frank reacts to the robot at first by saying, "You have got to be kidding me. That thing is going to murder me in my sleep."

But unless the trailer is a horrible, horrible lie, it doesn't. Instead, they grow close, and Frank trains Robot in the ways of his past career as a jewel thief. I don't know how that's going to be portrayed -- whether the robot will come across as naively incapable of telling right from wrong (a negative portrayal), particularly susceptible to criminal acts (a negative portrayal) or whether it handles the complex realities of relationships, friendship, injustice and property rights by making a decision that is influenced by his immediate peers, and by a sense of compassion (a positive portrayal).

I've got my fingers crossed it'll be the latter, and I look forward to seeing this film as soon as possible. Here's the trailer: